Hilary Duff
'Hilary Erhard Duff '(born September 28, 1987) is an American actress and singer. She began acting at a young age and rose to prominence as a teen idol, playing the title character in the television series Lizzie McGuire (2001-2004) and its 2003 film adaptation. The success of the series led to roles in films such as Agent Cody Banks (2003), Cheaper by the Dozen (2003), A Cinderella Story (2004) and Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005). Duff has additionally appeared in numerous guest roles and appearances in television, including an award-winning recurring role on the third season of Gossip Girl on Olivia Burke, and the television film Beauty & the Briefcase (2010). In 2014, she landed a starring role in the upcoming TV Land sitcom Younger as Kelsey. Other than that, she has acted in several independent films with praised roles in War, Inc. (2008), According to Greta (2009) and Bloodworth (2010). Duff has also served as a voice actress for a number of direct-to-video animated features. Duff is noted for her musical career, which has produced the albums Santa Claus Lane (2002), Metemorphosis (2003), Hilary Duff (2004), Dignity (2007) and a forthcoming album scheduled for release in 2014. As of July 2014, she has sold more than 15 million records worldwide. As an entrepreneur, she has launched two fashion lines and released one perfume. Her first novel Elixir (2010), co-written with Elisa Ellen, was a New York Times best seller and spawned the sequels Devoted (2011) and True (2013). She has also involved herself with several philanthropic campaigns. Early Life Hilary was born on September 28, 1987, in Houston, Texas. She was raised inbetween Houston and San Antonio with her father Robert Erhard Duff, a partner in a chain of convenience stores in the two areas, her mother Susan Colleen, a homemaker turned film and music producer, and her older sister Haylie, who is also an actress and singer. From a young age, Duff took after her older sister and, encouraged by their mother, the pair enrolled in acting, singing and ballet classes. Both girls won roles in local theatre productions and, together, at the ages of six and eight, they participated in a touring BalletMet production of The Nutcracker in San Antonio. Increasingly interested in the pursuit of show business, the Duff sisters and their mother moved to California in 1993, while their father stayed in Houston to take care of his business. The sisters auditioned for several years and were cast in many television commercials. Due to her acting career, Duff was home-schooled from the age of eight. During her initial acting years, Duff primarily played minor roles, such as her uncredited part in the Hallmark Entertainment western miniseries True Women (1997) and as an uncredited extra in the ensemble comedy-drama Playing by Heart (1998). The same year, Duff landed her first major role as Wendy in Casper Meets Wendy, based on the Harvey Comics characters. After appearing in the supporting role of Ellie in the television film The Soul Collector (1999), Duff accrued a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Movie or Pilot (Supporting Young Actress). Career 2000-2002: Breakthrough In March 2000, Duff appeared in the small guest role as a sick child in the medical drama Chicago Hope right before being cast as one of the children in the pilot episode of the NBC sitcom Daddio. Her Daddio co-star Michael Chiklis stated, "After working with her the first day, I remember saying to my wife, 'This young girl is gonna be a movie star.' She was completely at ease with herself and comfortable in her own skin." However, producers dropped Duff from the cast prior to the airing of the show. A week later, she landed the title role of a newly developed Disney Channel children's television series, Lizzie McGuire, after her mother urged her to audition. The show made Duff a household name, particularly with its target demographic of pre-teens and adolescents. The show premiered on the Disney Channel on January 12, 2001, and was a ratings hit that attracted about 2.3 million viewers per episode. The show ended on February 14, 2004 after Duff fulfilled her 65-episode contract. Though Disney considered expanding the franchise to films and a prime-time television series, continuation plans failed because Duff's representatives said that she was not being paid enough for the proposed series. Duff became interested in pursuing a music career after attending a Radio Disney concert in 2001. She signed a record deal with Andre Recke's Hollywood Records not long after. In 2002, she appeared on the soundtrack to the Lizzie McGuire series, performing a cover version of Brooke McClymont's "I Can't Wait", which received success on Radio Disney, and the Walt Disney Records compilation DisneyMania, performing a cover of "The Tiki Tiki Tiki Room". Duff's first role in a theatrical motion picture was in Human Nature, in which she portrays the younger version of Patricia Arquette's character. Duff also starred in the 2002 Disney Channel television film Cadet Kelly, which became the network's most watched program in its 19-year history. The same year, she released her first holiday album, Santa Claus Lane. Accompanied by the Disney Channel-only single "Tell Me a Story (About the Night Before)", the album peaked at 154 on the US Billboard 200 album chart and was certified gold. While her songs "Why Not?" and "What Dreams Are Made Of" were hits on Radio Disney, Recke and executives at Buena Vista Music Group envisioned Duff reaching a more mature audience. 2003-2005: Commercial Success On August 26, 2003, Duff released her debut studio album, Metamorphosis. Despite having received mixed reviews from contemporary music critics, Metamorphosis reached number one on the Billboard 200 and Canadian Albums Chart and sold over five million copies worldwide by late 2005. Its lead single "So Yesterday," was a top ten hit in several countries despite not impacting in her native United States. Duff further promoted the album with the Metamorphosis Tour that ran from November to December 2003. Metamorphosis earned Duff her first Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Female Singer as well as Best New Female Artist at the World Music Awards in 2004. Later that year, Duff received her first major role in a feature film opposite Frankie Muniz in the action comedy Agent Cody Banks. Scott Foundas of Variety called Duff's performance "charming," and thought she was "sidelined with little to do much of the time." The same year, Duff reprised her role as Lizzie McGuire for The Lizzie McGuire Movie. Later that year, Duff played one of the twelve children of Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt in the comedy film Cheaper by the Dozen, which remains her highest grossing film to date. Slant Magazine reviewer Nick Schager wrote that Duff "does nothing more than look perky and stylish." In 2004, Duff's second self-titled studio album was released on her seventeenth birthday. This time, she was more involved in crafting of the album by co-writing songs, desiring it to be her departure from her young Lizzie McGuire image. The album has a rockier edge that Metamorphosis did, which critics received negatively and compared her to singers Avril Lavigne and Ashlee Simpson. Nevertheless, the album debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, sold 1.8 million copies in the United States and was certified platinum by the RIAA. The same year, she starred in the romantic comedy A Cinderella Story opposite Chad Michael Murray. The film went on to become a moderate box office hit despite having received negative reviews from film critics. Later that year, she starred in her first dramatic role in the musical drama Raise Your Voice. The film was heavily panned and was not successful at the box office. Several reviews were indifferent towards her acting performance and were critical of Duff's vocals, with critics pointing out what appeared to be her digitally enhanced voice. Her performance in the two films led to her first Razzie nomination for Worst Actress in 2004. In 2005, Duff released her first compilation album entitled Most Wanted. The album received mostly negative reviews from critics, who deemed the release as premature, stating that Duff did not have enough material to issue a compilation. However, new songs "Wake Up", "Beat of My Heart" and "Break My Heart" received critical praise. Most Wanted debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming Duff's second number one album in the United States. It sold over two hundred thousand copies within its first week of release, and was certified platinum by the RIAA a month after its release. Her subsequent role in the romantic comedy The Perfect Man and the reprisal of her character in the Belles On Their Toes film remake and Cheaper by the Dozen 2, resulted in her second Razzie nomination for Worst Actress in 2005. The Village Voice's Matt Singer wrote of the former, in which she co-stars with Heather Locklear and Chris Noth, "Duff plays her standard character, an introverted romantic who falls for a guy whose hunky exterior belies an artistic soul." Of the latter, Mike Clarke of USA Today said: "Duff just looks like she'd rather be in a different movie." 2006-2008: Continued Success Duff co-starred with her sister, Haylie, in the satirical comedy Material Girls (2006). The film earned both sisters a shared Razzie Award nomination for Worst Actress, becoming Duff's third consecutive nomination in three years. The sisters were also nominated for Worst Screen Couple. The duo recorded a cover version of Madonna's "Material Girl" for the film's soundtrack. In late 2006, Duff began to work on her fourth studio album, Dignity (2007). The album was co-written by Duff, along with Kara DioGuardi, who co-produced the album with Rhett Lawrence, Tim & Bob, and Richard Vission. In contrast to the pop rock themes of her prior releases, Dignity takes on more of a dance and electropop sound an makes use of more instruments. Critical response was mostly positive; while Duff's "weak" singing voice was noted, the album was praised for its songwriting and her new musical direction. Upon release, Dignity debuted at number three in the US, lower than Duff's previous albums, which Billboard attributed to the loss of fans during her musical evolution. Despite the relatively poor performance of the album, it produced Duff's highest-peaking US single to date, "With Love". The song topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart, becoming the first of her free consecutive number ones on that chart; her second being "Stranger," the album's third single. A two-part introspective documentary television special Hilary Duff: This Is Now was produced to chronicle Duff's return to music. It premiered on MTV in April 2007. Duff was cast in the 2008 political satire War, Inc.. Her performance as Yonica Babyyeah, an oversexed Central Asian pop star garnered praise. Duff recorded two exclusive tracks, "Boom Boom Bang Bang" and "I Want to Blow You Up", for the movie's soundtrack. War, Inc. opened on an extremely limited release in only thirty-two theaters across the United States. It closed on August 7, 2008, without a wide release, grossing only $580,862 domestically. Duff released her first greatest hits album, Best of Hilary Duff (2008). The album featured songs from her previous three albums, remixes and two new tracks, "Reach Out" and "Holiday". The former, which samples Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus", was released in the preceding month of the album's release as its first single. The song became Duff's third number one dance hit in the United States. The album was her first album not to receive any RIAA certifications, and it peaked at number 125 on the US chart. After the album's release, Duff decided to leave Hollywood Records after six years of service. She announced the MTV that she would begin writing another album in December 2008, but it was never developed. 2009-2013: Focus on Acting In 2009, Duff starred as the titular role of a suicidal and rebellious teen in According to Greta. Her performance received mixed reviews; Andrew Barker of Variety magazine criticised Duff's "child star" approach to acting and wanted her to stay away from teen roles. However, Los Angeles Times critic Robert Abele wrote that her attempt to "transform her bright-eyed wholesomeness into rebellious snark" in Greta "is a valiant one." Later that year, she co-starred as a narcissistic seductress in What Goes Up. Brian Lowry of Variety magazine stated that Duff's performance "amounts to a near-adult role", yet labelled her role and the film "confused". Despite turning down the lead in The CW drama 90210 in 2008 because she was looking for projects outside of the teen genre, Duff attained a recurring role in the third season of The CW drama Gossip Girl. She played Olivia Burke, a movie star who enrols in NYU in search of a traditional college experience. In the ninth episode titled "They Shoot Humphreys, Don't They?", Duff's character ends up having a threesome, which led to protests from parent groups. Enid Portugez of the LA Times praised her performance by giving a positive review to her involvement in this adult role. The following year, she won a Teen Choice Award for Best Female Scene Stealer. In 2010, Duff starred in the ABC Family television film Beauty & the Briefcase, in which she plays a fashion magazine columnist who writes about her dating struggles in the city. The film had a rating of 2.4 million viewers. The same year, she appeared in an episode of the NBC sitcom Community. Duff co-starred as Raven Halfacre, the teenage daughter of a promiscuous alcoholic mother, in the drama film Bloodworth, of which Los Angeles Times reviewer Sheri Linden thought she "acquits herself well" despite not warming to the film. The Examiner also wrote that the "biggest surprise performance probably belongs to Hilary Duff." She starred in the Polish brothers' comedy Stay Cool (2011) to neither much critical nor commercial avail. In October 2011, Duff mentioned plans of a possible new album to E! Online. In January 2012, she confirmed, through her official website and Twitter, that she had begun recording songs. Throughout the recording sessions in 2012, Duff primarily worked with songwriter Ali Tamposi, musicians Matt Squire and Jason Evigan. The same year, she co-starred in Rob Margolies' comedy She Wants Me, as a well-known starlet who enters a love triangle. In August 2012, Duff signed a deal with 20th Century Fox to develop a sitcom in which she would star and produce. According to the deal if the thirty-minute sitcom failed to work, Duff would be cast in a different show. However, this plan failed to develop. She appeared as a guest judge in Project Runway in September the same year. In early 2013, Duff guest starred in the Fox sitcom Raising Hope, and the tenth season finale of the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men. She also lent her voice to an animated film Wings, together with Jesse McCartney and Josh Duhamel released by the animation company Simka Entertainment. She reprised that role in 2014, for the movie's sequel Wings: Sky Force Heroes. By July 2013, Duff had finished filming the independent film Flock of Dudes, which moved into post-production in August 2013. In November, Duff guest-starred on a Dora the Explorer special episode as Ice Witch. 2014-Present: Younger and Upcoming Fifth Studio Album On January 15, 2014, it was announced that Duff signed on to co-star opposite Sutton Foster in a pilot episode for a sitcom entitled Younger, based on a Pamela Redmond Satran novel. Duff plays Kelsey, an ambitious 20-something who persuades Foster's character Liza to work in a publishing firm. The show was created and executive produced by Darren Star and is set to air on TV Land. In April 2014, it was announced that the pilot was picked up for a series with a 12-episode deal and was initially set to premiere in the fall. However, TV Land's president, Larry W. Jones, stated that Younger will premiere in January 2015. The show marks Duff's first starring role in a television series in over ten years. Duff attended the 2014 iHeartRadio Music Awards on May 1, 2014, where she confirmed that she was working with songwriter Savan Kotecha and English singer Ed Sheeran. On July 23, 2014, it was revealed that Duff had signed with RCA Records to release her upcoming fifth studio album. The buzz single "Chasing the Sun" and its accompanying music video were simultaneously released on July 29, 2014. The song reached number 79 on the Billboard Hot 100, and the music video garnered fourteen million views on YouTube in just one week of its release, becoming Duff's fastest viewed music video. The lead single, entitled "All About You", was released on August 12, 2014. Other Ventures Entrepreneurship Clothing Lines In addition to having signed with modelling agency IMG Models, Duff has launched two clothing lines. The first, "Stuff by Hilary Duff," was distributed through Target in the U.S., Kmart in Australia, Zellers in Canada and Edgars Stores in South Africa from March 2004 onwards. The company later expanded its business into furniture, fragrances and jewelry, which were primarily targeted at the teen and preteen crowd. But by the end of 2008, Duff ceased to have full control of the "Stuff by Hilary Duff" line, and it was officially discontinued as a result. Her second was a collaboration with DKNY Jeans where she co-designed a collection of special pieces. With the objective of designing a clothing line for girls her own age, the collaborative apparel line, titled Femme for DKNY Jeans, debuted in the U.S. in August 2009 and was around for a limited time. Fragrances Duff has also released her own perfume, titled "With Love... Hilary Duff," which was distributed by the Elizabeth Arden company from September 2006 onward. The perfume was initially sold only in Macy's in the U.S., but later branched out to Europe, Japan and Canada, "With Love... Hilary Duff" was one of the three best-selling fragrances launched at U.S. department stores in late 2006. A summer version of the perfume, titled "Wrapped with Love," was released in January 2008 while a spring gift set version was released in time for that year's Valentine's Day. Books In 2010, Duff set up a book-writing deal with Simon & Schuster. Published in October 2010, the first young adult novel to result from her and Elise Allen's collaboration was entitled Elixir. It was subsequently released internationally and became a New York Times best-seller. Following the huge success of Elixir, its sequel, Devoted, was released in October 2011. Devoted picks up where Elixir left off and continues the story of the dangerous love triangle. The third and final novel, True, was released in April 2013. Philanthropy Duff has involved herself with various philanthropic activities. For natural disasters, she donated $250,000 to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina in addition to donating over 2.5 million meals to Hurricane Katrina victims in southern US in 2005. In August 2006, Duff travelled to a New Orleans elementary school and worked with USA Harvest to distribute meals. She has also helped various youth charities and is a member of Kids with a Cause. Duff has also served on the Advisory Board of the Audrey Hepburn Child Benefit Fund and the Celebrity Council of Kids with a Cause. In October 2008, Duff starred in a public service announcement for The Think Before You Speak Campaign by Ad Council and GLSEN to prevent youth from using anti-LGBT vocabulary, such as the phrase "That's So Gay." In July 2009, Duff was named as a Youth Ambassador to the children of the Columbian capital, Bogota. As a Youth Ambassador, she spent five days in the country, distributing backpacks filled with food to needy children. Duff is a strong animal rights supporter and commended when asked what she would do if she was not a celebrity, "I always wanted to be a veterinarian when I was younger, but then I figured out that animals actually die there, so that was not the job for me. Definitely something with kids or animals or something like that." In 2012, a few months after giving birth to her son, Duff was actively involved in the Johnson's Baby Cares campaign. The campaign included activities such as sending care kits and care cards to new mothers across the U.S. as a motivation. It also raises funds for children and poor families together with Save The Children. Towards the start of the Christmas shopping season in November 2013, Duff teamed up with Duracell in Canada for a campaign especially for kids in hospitals. The campaign called Powering Holiday Smiles donated 20,000 batteries to hospitals across Canada in order to power lifesaving medical devices and the thousands of playroom toys and games that children and their families will be using the holiday season of 2013 and beyond. The campaign encourages Canadians to buy Duracell Quantum AA-16 batteries, in which for every packet sold, one dollar will be donated to the Children's Miracle Network. The campaign began on November 22 and commenced on December 27, 2013. In order to promote the campaign, Duff paid a visit to The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario to hand out brand new toys supplied by Hasbro. She has discussed the campaign on Breakfast Television Toronto, a radio show and in numerous magazine interviews. Impact Duff's debut album Metamorphosis was credited with helping to significantly raise the industry and corporate profile and marketplace presence of Hollywood Records, which Geoff Mayfield, charts director and senior analyst for Billboard magazine, said "had some top albums before with the Tarzan movie soundtrack in 2000, but not like this Hilary Duff album". The San Fernando Valley Business Journal wrote that the album was "giving Hollywood Records a needed shot in the arm" after a decline in CD sales during the previous two years had forced the label to reduce costs and alter its operation. Hilliard Lyons analyst Jeffrey Thomison cited Metemorphosis as a reflection of Disney's ability to develop "great synergy between their cable, film and music segments", particularly after The Lizzie McGuire Movie indicated that Duff's television fanbase could be migrated to film. Geoff Mayfield said on the subject, "All things being equal, if this album were done by anybody else, it would not be a hit". Metamorphosis made Duff the first "breakout artist" for Hollywood Records in its ten-year history, and its success coincided with that of albums by other artists on the label, such as Rascal Flatts and Josh Kelley, and of soundtracks for films such as The Cheetah Girls, Freaky Friday and The Lizzie McGuire Movie. Later, partly as a result of Metemorphosis, Hollywood Records used the Disney Channel to launch brands such as High School Musical and Hannah Montana, and artists such as Aly & AJ, The Cheetah Girls, Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus, Raven-Symone, Vanessa Hudgens and Jesse McCartney. Duff's work has influenced numerous artists including Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Ariana Grande and Keke Palmer. Public Image Following her success from her Lizzie McGuire days, Richard Huff of the New York Daily News called Duff "a 2002 version of Annette Funicello" but admitted that the character of Lizzie McGuire was both a blessing and burden for her. In 2003, Huff stated that Duff's public image is "tied" to Lizzie McGuire. In 2005, Katie Long from the Centre of Parent/Youth Understanding wrote an analysis about Duff and her suitability as an idol for young teens. Duff "is not like Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera... yet" who supposedly use their sex appeal to sell albums and "is someone that adolescent girls can relate to." However, while Duff is a "positive role model" who has a "close relationship" with her family, the writer acknowledged that as Duff matures, "her looks and message will most likely mature as well." In 2007, Duff's appearance on the cover of Maxim was accompanied by the declaration that she had gone "from the queen of teen to breakout sex symbol." Following this, Duff placed at #23 on the annual Hot 100 Women list compiled by Maxim. She has remained on the list ever since in addition to being regularly listed on the annual FHM list of the 100 Sexiest Women (she peaked at #8 in 2008). The Associated Press wrote that this sudden provocativeness was representative of "a clear move to put her Lizzie McGuire past behind her," and that more provocative imaging of her would help her singles to garner mainstream radio play: "Ultimately, nature, time and genetics may help Duff in a way Disney, despite all its might, cannot." However, despite "the fact that she is grown up," Duff "has managed to maintain her sweet persona," wrote Young Hollywood. Duff has been publicly criticized for her post-pregnancy body. In 2013, Duff revealed that it took her a year for her to lose her baby weight and that she lost nearly 50 pounds since the birth of her son. Duff stated that she revamped her diet and hired a personal trainer to train her in boxing, which was of the ways she lost her weight other than piloxing and spin cycling. Duff's slow but healthy method in shedding off her post-pregnancy weight was praised by health experts and was looked up by actress Tia Mowry, who cited Duff as her idol in taking up a healthy and safer way to lose the excess weight gained during pregnancy. Duff is very vocal about her disapproval of paparazzi photographing children. In 2014, Duff expressed her anger regarding two paparazzi who was taking pictures of her son without her consent on Twitter. She tweeted: "I chose to let them off with a stern warning, next time I will not be so nice. #NoKidsPolicy". The hashtag refers to a bill that was pushed by actresses Halle Berry and Jennifer Garner, which prohibits paparazzi from taking pictures of celebrities' children. Personal Life Relationships Duff dated pop singer Aaron Carter on and off between 2001 and 2003 while he met and dated Lindsay Lohan. It was reported that Carter soon left Lohan and went back to dating Duff, starting a feud between the two actresses. In 2007, it was reported that the two reconciled, with Lohan accepting an invitation to Duff's Dignity album release party. In July 2004, a 16-year-old Duff began dating Good Charlotte singer Joel Madden, who was then 25 years of age. After a long period of tabloid speculation, Duff's mother Susan announced their relationship in a June 2005 interview for Seventeen magazine. In November 2006, Duff and Madden broke up. In 2007, Duff began dating Canadian NHL player Mike Comrie. Duff and Comrie announced their engagement in February 2010, and married on August 14, 2010 in Santa Barbara, California. The couple had a son, Luca Cruz Comrie, born in March 2012. Duff and Comrie announced on January 20, 2014, that they had separated but would continue to co-parent their son. Duff has stated that the separation is amicable and discussed the possibility of future reconciliation, saying in September 2014, "If there wasn't a chance of getting back together, I think we would've filed for divorce." Stalking Incident In 2006, Duff was stalked by a 19-year-old Russian immigrant identified as Max and his 50-year-old roommate David Joseph Klein. She filed for restraining orders against the two men, claiming that Max "threatened to kill himself" to get her attention. She also alleged that he threatened to "remove enemies" who stand in his way, including Duff's boyfriend at the time Joel Madden. Max, later identified as Maksim Myaskovskiy, was sentenced to 117 days in prison. Filmography Film Television Discography *Santa Claus Lane (2002) *Metamorphosis (2003) *Hilary Duff (2004) *Dignity (2007) Books *The Elixir Series **Elixir (2010) **Devoted (2011) **True (2013) __FORCETOC__ Category:Lizzie McGuire Category:Lizzie McGuire Cast